Cherries and Plums
by fluffybluff
Summary: Series of canon one shots that happens after the event in the book, mostly KK fics. CHAPTER 9: Nightmares come at any times in many forms, even the image of the enemy's carcass floating in your miso soup is inevitable. You just need to endure it and seek some solace at the end of the day. WARNING: chapter 9 contains (mildly) gruesome stuff involving rice and miso soup.
1. The Importance of Listening

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine.

AN: It's been awhile since I wrote anything related to RK. I've been very busy and didn't really have time to continue some of the stories. But now I'm back! I guess… We'll see how it goes, since I have ignored these stories for too long… In the meantime, please enjoy this… well, you can say a weird burst of inappropriate and redundant imagination from my brain. Oh, don't forget to review! :D

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The Importance of Listening

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Kaoru walked towards the living room and peeked inside. Her husband was there, staring at a small, black wooden box. Beside him, his unsheathed sakabatou was lying beside its sheath. Kaoru watched as he opened the box and took out his sword cleaning/maintaining tools. Most of the times, Kenshin didn't really need something like a 'me-time'. He was happier when he was surrounded by a lot of people. He didn't really participate in the silliness that, Kaoru guaranteed everyone, would occur everytime the whole gang gathered, but he loved watching others joking and laughing around. Now that Sanosuke and Megumi had left and Yahiko was preparing to leave the doujo as well, the house became a little quiet. Although Kenshin spent his time helping out Dr. Genzai and the police from time to time, they actually had more free time than before.

Kaoru sighed. There was only a few times where Kenshin didn't feel anyone's presence, or maybe pretended not to feel them, and the time he was polishing sakabatou was one of those times when he didn't even turn around to smile even though Kaoru was only three meters behind him, peeking through the thin sliding door like a girl playing hide-and-seek. Kaoru never really wanted to disturb him when he was clearly away, somewhere in his la-la land, but this time there was an important news she had to tell him, and no, she couldn't wait until he came back down to the earth.

"Ne, Kenshin, I got some lunch from Akabeko. Do you want to eat now? It's noon already." She said, trying to catch his attention.

"Uh-huh." Came a reply. Kaoru inhaled.

"I want the pork. You don't mind eating the beef, do you?"

"Hmm."

"Should I pour a lot of wasabi on top?" She asked, knowing that even though Kenshin could eat hot and spicy stuff, he couldn't stand a lot of chilli and wasabi on his food.

"Mm-hhm."

"Anata, listen to me." Kaoru practically purred her word seductively, which usually worked to distract him. Kaoru snorted as she sat on the engawa, playing with her hair.

"Hmm."

"Nee, I have a confession to make. Kenshin, Kenshin, I have a confession to make, Kenshiiin…" She sang playfully.

"Hmm."

"Last night when you weren't around… Nee… Last night, when you didn't come home because of those diarrhea patients…"

"Yeah…" Kenshin murmured.

"…I got bored. I cheated on you."

"Mmmm." Kenshin murmured again. Kaoru snorted and laid herself on the engawa. She rolled around like a little kid, and then grinned.

"Kenshin… I had sex with an octopus." She added.

"Mm-hmm."

"A big, big octopus. Like in those pictures." She purred.

"Yeah." He clearly didn't listen to whatever she was saying.

"And then another big octopus came and I had sex with it too. Then the three of us had sex." Kaoru said, almost sounded like she was bored. He was supposed to pay attention to her, especially when she was trying to tell him something important!

"Hmm," was his only (disinterested) reply. Kaoru grunted and sat up.

"Fine, I'll just tell you the real information then. I'll only tell you once, so if you missed it, too bad, dude. You MISSED your chance." Kaoru said, her tone became a little serious and stern.

"Mm-hmm."

Kaoru inhaled. "I'm pregnant. Our first child, Kenshin." She said slowly, with a very low tone. This time, he didn't even react. He was staring at his sword attentively.

Kaoru gave up. "Your loss, Mister. I'm not repeating myself twice." She said while getting up and heading to the bathhouse. "I'm going to take a bath now… Not that you're listening." She said before disappearing into the other side of the house.

OxOxOx

Kenshin was staring at his sword, while his brain was trying to make sense the words that came out from Kaoru's mouth a minute ago. No use, his head was blank. Was it really… did she really say… Did his mind play some tricks on him? How could it happen? Of course it could happen, baka rurouni! But... When? Where? Was it last week, in the doujo? No... Three weeks ago in the forest? Two months ago in the bathtub? Wait, this could be a dream. Was he dreaming just now?

Okay, what was he supposed to do, again? He should hug and kiss her… No, wait, he should buy her some gifts first… No, he should collect the money from the police office, and THEN buy her a gift, and THEN hug and kiss her… Wait, no, he should go to Dr. Genzai and ask about this. Or should he go tell Yahiko to get Dr. Genzai? He couldn't leave her alone, defenceless in the bath… Speaking of baths, what if the water was too hot that it was hurting _them_? He should've checked the temperature after preparing the bath for her!

Now. What was he going to do, again?

"Kuso." a word he rarely used blurted out from his mouth. His brain seemed to have exploded inside his head.

With all his might, he stabbed his sakabatou on the floor (the broken tatami, of course, would cause the Missus' wrath to befall upon him later on) ran like a mad man towards the bathhouse, and after almost broken a rib or two after hitting the walls and wooden poles, he finally reached the bathhouse. He opened the door to the bathhouse, and then opened the door into the ofuro. Kaoru, who was enjoying herself in the furo turned her head and saw her husband, red, panting, and looked confused altogether. The scene reminded her of his first day in the doujo.

Only this time, he confidently walked into the bathroom, and without saying anything he lifted Kaoru up and hugged her tightly. Kaoru blushed because Kenshin rarely became this forward, but then a smile slowly crept up on her face.

"Thank you." He whispered. He pushed Kaoru a little so that he could look at her in the eye, and then said, "please, tell me the news again."

Kaoru smiled, a mischievous twinkle slowly sparkled in her bright blue eyes.

"Fine, one more time." She said, and pulled his ears closer to her lips, whispering the news with her sweet voice once again.

This time she would let him go. It was too happy of an occasion not to be told twice or thrice anyway. _Next time_, she thought, next time she would definitely teach him the importance of listening, especially when it comes to his wife and the mother of his child.


	2. Parenting

Disclaimer: RK is not mine

AN: I decided to make "the importance of listening" into some kind of 'folder' that I could put all of my new canon drabbles into. I think I have made too many one shots that I felt like I'm just crapping all over the ffnet, so it's better for me to… well… crap… in just one place. Under one title. It's going to be random and not really according to a structured timeline, but it would all be canon. Next chapter could be about Kenshin and Kaoru's wedding for all I care.

About the story, I know that this might sound a little weird, but I always see Kenshin as a very strict person, and he, like Hiko, is a tough teacher. Yes, he has a mild demeanor and not acting all tough and scary, but, just like Soujirou said, he was a strict person, even compared to Shishio. You would see that he never coddled Yahiko and let him fight, even though everyone was horrified about how Yahiko got injured a lot, he kept a calm face and told everyone to let Yahiko deal with it. Actually, from the way he's acting, I finally realized the difference of being strict and being scary. Being strict doesn't mean that you have to scream and scare everyone in your way. I tried depicting it in the story, but it comes out as a fail… oh well. On with the story! :P

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Parenting

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Yahiko frowned as soon as he entered the doujo yard from the side gate. It was too silent; usually Kenshin would be in the side yard, doing laundry, the pregnant Kaoru would be on the engawa, sitting and talking to her husband about whatever gossip she heard in the neighbourhood, and Kenji would run around, playing by himself, or practicing his kata.

Today, there was no one there. The laundry basin was placed neatly to cover the mouth of the well, and there was no laundry hung to dry, which means that Kenshin hadn't started washing clothes yet. He then heard a soft sob at the back side of the house. Yahiko ran to where the noise was, and found Kaoru, sitting on the engawa with her face red and her eyes all watery.

"Oi. What happened?" Yahiko asked. Kaoru wiped her tears and looked at Yahiko.

"Well…" She sighed and leaned against the wooded block that supported the house, "Kenshin is punishing Kenji." She said quietly while pointing at dining room behind her. The shouji was half opened and Yahiko could hear a faint sob from within. Yahiko took a peek and saw the room was messy; all the food was spilled everywhere and some bowls were broken. Kenshin stood in the middle of the room with a rather expressionless face that reminded him of Saitou, holding a shinai, while six year-old Kenji was sobbing while gathering the rice, dirty tofu and roasted fish with a small napkin, putting them into the garbage bin beside him little by little. Kenshin didn't say anything, he was just staring at the sobbing child with his dark violet eyes.

Yahiko was quite surprised at the sight. He always thought that Kaoru would be more willing to do such things and be the bad cop, and Kenshin was the one easily swayed and be more lenient towards the children. It was hard to believe that Kenshin was able to discipline a child.

"What happened during lunch?" Yahiko asked with a low voice, as if he, himself was also afraid of Kenshin.

"I cooked today, and Kenji didn't want to eat. He kicked the food and started calling me 'Busu' and asked why doesn't he have a mother who can cook like other children in the neighbourhood…" She said, before suddenly bursting into tears again. "I would never cook, ever again!" She started sobbing. Yahiko sighed at the hormonal woman. He peeked through the shouji gap again. Apparently Kenji had finished gathering all of the food into the garbage bin, and now he was desperately scrubbing the floor, trying to get the miso soup and soy sauce stain off the tatami.

"Mou iiyo!" Kenji whined. "I'm tired, otou-san! I can't get the stain off!"

"Then you shouldn't stain it in the first place, should you?" Kenshin answered with a low voice. Yahiko shivered. Kenshin didn't scream, in fact, the way he asked the question was rather… soft. What made Yahiko gulped was the fact that his voice was layered in such a cold tone. He rarely spoke to anyone this way before.

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Kenji screamed and threw the washcloth on the floor. Yahiko flinched when a loud BAM sound echoed from inside the dining room as Kenshin smacked the floor with the shinai he had in his hand. The shinai broke into two, and Kenji sobbed even harder as he took the washcloth from the floor and started scrubbing again.

"I really can't wipe it clean, otou-san!" Kenji said, this time with a more begging tone.

"Then you'll stay here until it's clean. You're not coming out until you're done. You'll sleep here if you need to." He said flatly, before taking the piece of the broken shinai off the floor and walked out of the dining room, closing the door behind him.

Yahiko looked at Kenshin awkwardly and Kaoru sniffed as she wiped her eyes with her kimono sleeve. Kenshin smiled at the two.

"You should go and comfort him." He said, patting Kaoru's head. Kaoru stood up slowly, trying to balance her big, pregnant belly. She sighed and went into the dining room and closed the door. Kenshin looked at Yahiko and then looked at the broken shinai on his hand. "Gomen ne, Yahiko, I broke your spare shinai." He apologised. Yahiko sighed.

"Well, it's Kaoru's. She's not going to need any for another three months anyway." He shrugged. He looked at Kenshin. "I never knew that you were not the doting type."

"Am I not?" Asked Kenshin, but then he chuckled. "I myself am not too sure what to do. I only had my parents for a short period of time. My master is the closest one I could call father, but he was different from my real father…"

"Well, you're the closest father figure I have, but I think you never did what you did to Kenji before." Yahiko said. Kenshin chuckled.

"How many times have you told us not to treat you like a little kid? I'm just doing what you wished me to do. Moreover, Kenji is only six years old." Kenshin said with a small smile, and Yahiko blushed, remembering how he "kicked around" and whined to everyone not to call him a kid. That was pretty childish.

"Stop reminding me of that." He murmured and Kenshin laughed. He looked at Yahiko.

"I do have something I want to ask you." He said. "Could you please tone down the joking around and calling Kaoru 'busu' when Kenji is around? I'm hoping that he could learn to respect Kaoru more, and remembering that he is going to be an elder brother soon, I wanted him to learn how to be a little more responsible and mature." Kenshin asked him.

Yahiko smiled and nodded. Kenshin patted his shoulder and smiled at him. "Thank you, Yahiko. I can always count on you." He said gently. "It takes Kenji's beloved Yahiko-onichan's tutelage to make him understand about the world as well, so, once again, I'm counting on you."

Yahiko chuckled. So far, his role was never clear. He was never Kenshin's son or his little brother. He wanted to be like Sano or Kaoru, standing right beside Kenshin, sharing his pain and gaining his full trust. Well, he couldn't, he was too young and kind of useless. Someone filled that place already. He had been wondering, would Kenshin react differently towards him if Yahiko was his blood? What would Kenshin take him for if he was as old as Sano when he met him the first time? Now, thinking about it made him feel like he was some kabuki drama's tragic hero. He could be anything to Kenshin. His son, his brother, his friend. It didn't really matter anyway. It did make him think about one thing though. He DID want a family. Not that everyone wasn't enough of a family to him. He just wanted to MAKE one, by himself.

"Hey, Kenshin, when you first got married, you were, what, 14? 15?" Yahiko asked.

"Around that age. Why?" Kenshin asked back. Yahiko blushed and shrugged.

"Nothing, just thinking." He murmured as he scratched his head. Kenshin looked at him for awhile, but then got the gist and started chuckling, and it was not one of his short ha-has. He was actually quietly laughing for more than twenty seconds. Yahiko's face changed from a mere blushing to a deeper shade of red. "Shut up. _Please_." He quietly murmured.

Couldn't stand Kenshin's laughing anymore, he got up and took his sakabatou. Kenshin smiled at his annoyed behaviour and said kindly, "send our regards to Tsubame-chan."

At this point, Yahiko's face was seriously red. The nineteen year-old guy ran outside of the doujo as he heard Kenshin's laugh ringing in his ears, making them redder than before. And no, Kenshin wasn't wrong. He was actually thinking about visiting a certain waitress "friend" of his. Damn that guy and his sharp intuition.


	3. Men After Marriage

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine

AN: I guess I won't be updating too often for now (y' don't say…? Lol) as I am very busy nowadays. This will be a short, super duper short fluff that I could think of after moving in with my boyfriend. Yes, men do change -_-" Sometimes I imagine that Kenshin could be spoiled too. Once in a blue moon. Grammar is off. Ever since I learned Chinese, I found that my English is getting worse day by day. But anyways, don't forget to read, review and I hope you enjoy this short… well… thingy…

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Men after Marriage

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Himura Kenshin was perfect. He never made any mistakes.

Without complaining, and not even a gesture of dissatisfaction, embarrassment or annoyance, he managed to do all the house chores, the chores that people said to be a job of a woman, perfectly.

Every morning he woke up earlier than anyone else. Even before the horizon turned into the colour of the rising sun, he had started heating up the stove in the kitchen, ready to cook some rice for breakfast. After he turned last night's leftover into a warm, decent breakfast, left to get some water from the well, so that as soon as the whole house finished their breakfast, he could directly wash some clothes and fill up the ofuro. Everyday he calculated everything carefully so that he could make the house comfortable for all of them to live in. Food, however simple they might be, would always be warm and ready to eat whenever they hungry. Baths were always prepared whenever fatigues hit them. Clothes would always be clean whenever they were needed. At one point, Kaoru was sure that she brought home a butler instead of a wanderer.

But of course, people said that men changed after they got married.

Two months after their wedding, Kaoru found herself woke up in an odd Sunday morning she never thought she would be in.

Kenshin was sleeping beside her, his yukata was messy, revealing his toned chest and abs. His hair covered his face, and at one point became an annoyance to him, as he groaned and unconsciously brushed it off his face. He was deep asleep, not realizing the gaze of his wife beside him.

What's odd wasn't the fact that he was sleeping beside her. What's odd was that he was still sleeping when the sun was already out, and Kaoru had woken up as well.

Kaoru frowned. Maybe he was too tired. Maybe he was sick?

Well, he didn't do anything much yesterday. Megumi came to visit and they all went to Akabeko to eat and drink the whole day. They went home and went to bed earlier than usual. As for sickness, he didn't look sick yesterday, but Kaoru wasn't too sure about it either. Her husband was good at hiding stuff.

"Ne… Kenshin?" Kaoru whispered softly in his ear. Kenshin didn't react. He didn't even move a muscle.

Kaoru frowned. This guy was usually super sensitive of his surrounding, so much that Kaoru thought he could feel cockroaches from 1 mile away. Kaoru lightly touched his forehead. It was normal temperature. Kaoru frowned and sighed. She probably had to fix their breakfast by herself. She sat up and looked around the room to find her outer kimono crumpled up beside Kenshin. She yawned lazily and tried grabbing the clothes from where she was. She quietly stretched her body on top of Kenshin's, trying to reach the kimono with as little effort as possible.

As soon as she grabbed her kimono, she felt Kenshin stirred in his sleep and sighed an annoyance she rarely heard. She chuckled. "Sorry, Kenshin, go back to sleep…" She whispered softly to Kenshin, who, in fact, was never awake.

Kenshin groaned and mumbled something incoherently, and then suddenly grabbed Kaoru. He wrestled with her and ended up wrapping his arms and his legs around Kaoru's body.

"Koishii, I need to prepare some breakfast for us…" Kaoru whispered as she tried to move Kenshin's arms from her body, but he didn't budge. He just buried his head into Kaoru's hair, and started inhaling her scent happily like a little kid. Kaoru inhaled and then wiggled her body, thinking that maybe she could slip off somehow.

This didn't help at all. Instead, Kenshin turned and moved his body on top of Kaoru's. Kaoru gasped and snorted. She knew that her small figured husband was actually pretty heavy, but she never knew that he was _this_ heavy. It didn't help that he started clinging onto her again like a panda towards a bamboo tree. He snuggled his face between her cleavage and rested there without moving anymore. Kaoru sighed slowly, as she adjusted to the weight on top of her.

"You lazy, lazy boy." She scolded him playfully as she pulled his hair, but he didn't move.

"Kenshiiiin… You're heavy…" She said, now pinching every part of his body that wasn't covered in yukata. This only made Kenshin snuggled even deeper.

Kaoru chuckled and rustled his hair. "Are you tired? Are you sick? You're like a baby today…" She then started braiding his hair randomly while singing random tunes softly, "baby… Baby… Baby…"

Kenshin didn't react at all. He stayed on top of her with steady breathing. His eyes were shut, and he didn't even move an eyeball. He looked deep asleep. Kaoru sighed and then kissed the top of his head. "I love you, Kenshin." She whispered.

To her surprise, Kenshin opened his eyes and looked up. He smiled mischievously and whispered back, "I love you too" in a perfectly normal voice, as if he had woken up for a long time. Kaoru looked at him suspiciously.

"Were you awake this whole time?" She asked as she looked at him interrogatingly. Kenshin chuckled.

"How could I? I was fast asleep because your singing is soothing." He said calmly as he rested his head back on her cleavage. Kaoru blushed and hit his head.

"Baka! You were awake!" She said, and Kenshin chuckled. He got up and let Kaoru hit him, as he untied Kaoru's obi.

"Yes, yes. I'm a baka." He said as he flicked the knot open. Kaoru stopped hitting him, realizing what he had done.

"And what do you think you're doing, Mister? LET ME GOOO! I need to make some breakfast!" Kaoru shouted and Kenshin only smiled as he lifted her up easily and got rid of her sleeping yukata, leaving her naked as a baby. "Kenshin! Yahiko's going to wake up and look for his breakfast soon!" Kaoru reminded him. She tried to push him away, but he was practically sitting on top of her thigh.

Kenshin only nodded with the same innocent rurouni smile as he removed his own yukata while balancing his weight so that he didn't hurt Kaoru. "I know, Kaoru. I know…"

"You're not listening to me! GEEZ!" Kaoru hit his stomach.

"I'm listening, sweetie, I'm listening." Kenshin said before going back to his position on top of Kaoru. Kaoru groaned, feeling a little annoyed as she continued hitting Kenshin's back.

Kenshin looked up and grinned. "You're adorable." He said before started sucking on Kaoru's neck. Kaoru blushed, and sighed. She snorted at herself as she felt her body giving up and starting to enjoy Kenshin's hands wandering around her body, fondling and caressing her everywhere.

Outside, Yahiko knocked at the door softly. "Y'know, I think I'm going to go to Akabeko and get some breakfast, since you two aren't getting up. I'll come back for the afternoon practice." He said from outside the door and left.

"See?" Kaoru looked at Kenshin, annoyed. Kenshin shrugged and started kissing her cleavage instead.

"Let him be. He's a big boy and it's Sunday, he should go out and play sometimes. Moreover, Akabeko's food is better than my cooking." He murmured before diving his head into her mounds. Kaoru sighed and shook her head.

"Baka." She blurted.

"And I love you too." He replied.

Men definitely changed after marriage.


	4. Selfish

Disclaimer: same as previous page

AN: First, thanks a lot for everyone out there who still read my fics. I'm not always active on ffnet, but I dont actually want to stop writing fics yet. So thanks you guys for the support! Anyhooo... This one is focusing mainly on Kenshin's inner thought. It's super short, but seriously, why would I try and stretch it when it's supposed to end short? I think I will already bore you to death with these three pages of MS Word anyway. As you can see from my fics I am an avid fan of KK (29 fics and all but one of the romantic pairings are KK), but actually I love love love Tomoe as well, and I think she is such a character. I am not too keen on writing KT fic (though I might, one day) but sometimes I feel the urge to write something with Tomoe in it, staying true to her character. Also, I try to approach Kenshin's feelings in a more human way, maybe not really staying true to his purity. Feel free to bash me about it. Lastly, don't forget to review (anything is fine) and enjoy!

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Selfish

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_Are you happy?_

He opened his eyes, and found her, smiling at him. A smile that he rarely saw.

He smiled at her warmly.

An old love that deserved to be remembered. A sheath that he depended upon.

The memories were flowing in. Sometimes, on nights like these, the ghost from the past came knocking in and whispered him a silent greeting.

And he would whisper back. He had missed her sometimes. She was the only beautiful memory he had of his past, even though she also had become his worst recollection.

His whole heart had completely belonged to someone else, but there was nothing wrong was being nostalgic, was there?

"You smile more than before."

Her smile became wider. "I'm at peace now, anata." She whispered.

He closed his eyes. "I'm glad."

He once said his goodbye to her, but no one could completely erase one's past. Not even him. Sometimes she would come, creeping in his dreams, in the back of his mind, reminding him that she was there before. Everytime, he would greet her with open arms like an old friend.

She turned her head softly to the new hakama hung near the door. He chuckled as he followed her gaze.

"You didn't get the chance to wear a beautiful uchikake." He commented softly.

"But I was happy."

"Were you?"

"Even when I thought I couldn't be happy anymore, you brought joy back to my life." She whispered.

He smiled softly.

"And you?" She asked.

"I am happy. I was happy, with you, and I am happy again now." He replied.

The two looked at each other in the familiar warmth they once shared before. This time, though, he didn't feel the immortality he had hoped when he was younger. She came back to leave him again. He was fine with it; he had stopped living in the middle of two worlds. For the first time in his life, he _lived_. He truly _lived_.

"Goodbye, anata." She said with a smile.

He reached out his hand, trying to feel hers one last time, but stopped halfway.

Instead, he smiled back. "Goodbye, Tomoe." He whispered.

**OOOOO**

"I dreamed of my father last night." Kaoru mumbled. Kenshin looked at her painted face and smiled.

"Aa. It's natural that he would come to see his daughter before she gets married, no?" He replied, and Kaoru frowned.

"You believe in those kinds of things, Kenshin?" She asked, a little surprised.

"Kenshin shrugged. "Well, I never really think about it. Who knows what happens beyond death."

She looked at him, and smiled. "Ah, she must've visited last night."

Kenshin sighed and looked back at his smaller bride. "She congratulated us…" he mumbled.

"Hee…" Kaoru nodded, but then smiled happily as she clasped her hands together. "She's worried about your happiness." She added, while looking at the sky. Kenshin chuckled.

"How do you know?" He asked, and Kaoru's smile grew bigger.

Of course she knew. She was in love with the same guy that Tomoe fell in love with.

"Ne, Kenshin?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you happy?"

Kenshin looked at her again. The feeling of selfishness inside him grew. He wanted to be happy. He wanted a family he never really had. He wanted kids, running around the house. He wanted peaceful Sunday afternoons. He wanted to laugh over Kaoru and Yahiko's constant argument. He wanted to be able to rest his head on her lap without worrying about anything. Without thinking about anything. He wanted things for himself.

He still questioned himself, and even berated himself for having such selfish thoughts. No, he was, and will never be worthy enough for such luxury, but he couldn't help it. He was a human. He was just a man. He wanted a small part of life to be his, and his only.

And he prayed, and he wished. This time, please don't take this paradise away from him. This time, he would fight to protect the happiness he had built.

For Kaoru. For their future family. For their friends. For himself.

He inhaled. "I am happy, Kaoru-dono." He finally said. Kaoru chuckled and punched him softly on his arm.

"Atta boy." She said with a grin.

Before he could say anything, Megumi and Misao barged into the living room, where they were waiting for the priest.

"Guys, the priest and the guests are in the doujo already. Come, Kaoru-chan. I will help you with your heavy kimono." Megumi said. The two looked at each other, inhaled and smiled knowingly before getting up.

He dusted himself and fixed his haori. As he looked at Megumi and Misao helped Kaoru with her heavy, white kimono, he repeated his prayer.

_I have sworn to give my life to others. But this time, just for this small part, please let me live for myself. _

_Let this be my one last act of selfishness. _


	5. Deja Vu

Dislaimer: Same as previous page

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DEJA VU

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He kneeled beside her weakened body. His hands grasped the red coloured snow, and despite his freezing fingers, he could still feel his warm tears falling onto the back of his hand.

His love, his happiness was drifting apart. The calm light that used to lit her eyes was slowly fading away.

He deserved this misery, he admitted. He really did. He had made a lot of sins in his life. But this woman! This woman was beautiful inside out. He knew that she did her best to create a happy life with him. She might have started everything with an ill intention, but he knew that she would do anything to ensure his happiness. Her only mistake was that she chose the wrong person to be with.

If only he could blame it to his unfortunate life. It was him all along. He was the problem. He should never be allowed to be happy, but he did. Look where it got him.

It was a sin to allow himself to be happy. He didn't deserve happy, and once he tried to build a happy life, he should have known that it would end with an even more agonizing misery. That thought plagued him once when he started his life with her, but he chased it out of his head, thinking that he had experienced every agonizing moment a person could have experienced – how much more sadness could he feel?

He was wrong. He was young. There are thousand faces of sadness he hadn't faced yet.

He inhaled and felt the cold, thrusting air twirling in his lungs. He was still alive, after all this time.

He leaned his body towards the dying woman, buried his head into her blood stained hair for the last time, and brushed her cheek softly with his lips.

"Wake up…" He whispered weakly.

Her eyes were shut, and her body had become cold. Life had completely left her frozen body, and no matter how long he waited for her to wake up, she would never open her eyes again.

With that understanding, his gaze turned cold as he held her in his arms and started walking through the snow.

**OOOOO**

"Kenshin?"

Kenshin opened his eyes and looked at Yahiko who was standing at the kitchen door. He looked very nervous and anxious.

"The hot water Megumi-dono asked is ready." He said, trying to put a smile on his face and failed miserably. He inhaled and started pouring some boiled water into a container.

"I… I'll take it… You rest, Kenshin." Yahiko said quietly. He was fidgeting, unlike his usual, confident self. Kenshin sighed as he watched the little kendoka carried the container filled with boiled water carefully.

He had seen women give birth to children, but he never thought that his wife would have a difficult, life-threatening labour. He could have sworn he saw life left her once blue bright eyes after the last push. Their newborn son was crying, but everyone was too busy to bring her back again. It had been twelve hours since she fell into a comatose state. If she was still asleep until one day had passed, Megumi said to not wait anymore and prepare for the worst.

He had been good for the past thirteen years, hadn't he? Everything would work out eventually, wouldn't it?

Kenshin closed his eyes again.

_Is this a reminder for me? Have I been too selfish for wanting this? _

His back felt cold. His hands were suddenly numb, as if he was grasping a pile of freezing, unforgiving snow. It felt familiar somehow. It was crazy how your past could haunt you so much.

_NO. _

He opened his eyes and stood up.

He had hope. He had told himself that this time, it would be different. He wasn't a naïve, helpless 14 year-old anymore. He had the strength he didn't have before.

He walked towards his old room and saw Megumi walking out of the room, looking exhausted. Kenshin smiled.

"Otsukare sama degozaru. You should sleep, Megumi-dono. I will watch her." He said, and Megumi looked at him with a sad smile.

"She's strong. This is a breeze compared to what she had faced before…" She said with a weak smile.

Kenshin sighed and patted Megumi's shoulder.

"Thank you. You did good, Megumi-dono. You did everything that you could do, and even more." He said reassuringly. Megumi's eyes became teary, but she nodded firmly before leaving to check on the newborn.

Kenshin sighed and entered the room. Kaoru was there, lying still on the warm futon with an ashy pale skin. He sat beside her, held her cold, lifeless hands, traced her arms and her shoulders, and then touched her cracked, pale white lips.

She was too cold… It was as if she was a porcelain doll.

He kneeled beside her, leaned towards her and buried his face into her messy hair. He kissed his cheek softly and whispered.

"…Wake up…"

He closed his eyes, as if he had lived this moment before. In a flash, he remembered an agonizing misery he had once experienced before, and it felt like it came creeping again.

He grabbed Kaoru's hair.

"Wake up. I need you… Our son needs you… The doujo needs you…"

He hugged her tightly.

"Wake up. Don't take my happiness away with you. Please, wake up." This time, he was almost shouting in her ear.

He got up abruptly as he felt a weak movement from her body. The eyes that were shut before slowly opened, and the life that once left those eyes came back.

"Anata… Our son...?" She whispered weakly, almost no sound came out. Kenshin looked at her, his jaw clenched. He looked at her blankly for a moment.

"It's a boy, koishii." He said with a trembling voice. Kaoru smiled weakly, her eyes teared a little.

"Our little son. Our little Kenji." She said with a hoarse, trembling voice.

"Himura Kenji." He said blissfully. The way of the sword.

"Were you worried Kenshin?" Kaoru asked. "I'm sorry."

Kenshin closed his eyes. The familiar coldness and misery that came creeping on had suddenly gone without him even noticing. It felt like, this time, it had vanished forever.

"I was just… I thought I saw a dejavu." He said. "But it was nothing. I was wrong. It's not your fault at all, Kaoru. You did great. Our son is healthy, and you'll be healthy soon as well." He added before giving her a loving peck on her forehead.

Kaoru smiled. "We'll be happy, right, Kenshin? You, me, our son, and everyone."

Kenshin smiled at his beloved mother of his child.

"We will." He whispered back.

And a new spring was waiting for them.


	6. Little Redheads

Disclaimer: Standard

AN: It's been awhile since I wrote fanfics. I didn't stop loving RK, I was just too preoccupied with life, and when I came back, it's already 3 years later. Scary how time flies.

I used to have my favourite readers and reviewers, some regular guys that spoke to me through reviews. I had missed them a lot :( Well, it's been 3 years and here I am, writing another fic, just because I feel like it. This one is about Kenji, and I would probably make more fics about his antics. I imagined Hiko and Kenshin had an awkward (but warm but distant... kind of weird like the two of them) relationship, coz after passing ougi down to Kenshin he said something about not wanting to know him again, but deep down he obviously loves and cares about him (the way he helped aoiya during the battle) *wink wink* Here it is, read, review and enjoy! :D

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Little Redheads

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Seijuurou Hiko inhaled the warm breeze of the summer wind as he walked on a small, dark pathway that night. He could have sent someone to run to the city and buy him his sake, but tonight the stars seemed so bright and he felt a little nostalgic.

The pathway was a shortcut to Kyoto, and it was two hours walk from his secluded mountain. He could hear crickets and beetles singing to each other in the darkness. There used to be fireflies, but after the war, the fireflies were gone. It was a shame; he used to take this pathway just to amuse himself as he watched his baka deshi ran around chasing them in glee. He was so small back then, and life was so quiet with just the two of them.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly heard small sobs somewhere in the bushes. Curious, he looked at the bushes and frowned. Was he thrown back to the past? He saw a little redhead, sobbing with a small shinai in his hand. In front of him there was a dead, bleeding cat. The kid looked up and sobbed again, scared at his huge stature.

Hiko smirked and kneeled so that he could look at the kid properly. The kid's eyes were different, but the flaming red hair tied into a neat low ponytail definitely showed whose kid this was.

"Hey kid, why are you sobbing here alone?" He asked, and the kid flinched.

"I… I'm sorry mister…" He wiped his tears and spoke in a scared, trembling voice. "Neko-chan died…"

"Did you do something to it?"

"No… I don't know where home is and neko-chan was in front of me and told me to follow her and she bleed and died." He sobbed. "I'm scared."

Hiko sighed at the boy's incredible imagination. He was so different from a certain little redhead he had met years ago. That boy was forced to think about reality when he was at the age where he was supposed to have a lot of wild ideas and imaginations. This boy, in a sense, was a happier boy than the one he had met before. He had the privilege to have his own imaginary world, to be scared and to cry.

He sat beside the boy. "I once met a boy who looked exactly like you, flaming red hair, small nose, and feminine jaw." He said, and the boy stopped sobbing. He looked at the older man beside him. Hiko continued, "he was in the similar situation as you are right now."

"His neko-chan died too?" The little boy asked with a scared but curious voice. Hiko chuckled.

"You could say that."

"He must be scared and sad too." The little redhead mumbled. He had stopped crying by now.

"He has three neko-chan, and they were attacked by a bunch of wolves. Because the wolves did a bad thing, God was angry and took their spirit away." He said, and the kid looked at him. "The kid had a brave heart. He didn't cry, instead he gathered up his strength and buried all of them."

"Even the bad wolves?" He asked the older guy with a frown.

"Yes, even the bad wolves."

"Was he not mad to the wolves?"

Hiko closed his eyes.

The kid he met that time didn't show any signs of shock, pain, sadness, or fright. He looked straight ahead towards the bloody corpses, which was probably too gruesome for his little mind to comprehend. It wasn't until he saw him, burying those dead bodies without a single tears, did he realize that Hiten Mitsurugi techniques would develop naturally in his soul. The little slave-boy was made for the true purpose of the discipline. It was a fate that bound him with his only pupil.

"I don't know, kiddo…" He sighed, and looked at the kid beside him. "The point is, should be a brave kid as well, just like the red haired kid I met before. Wipe your tears. Let's bury the cat, and I'll take you to the city."

The little redhead wiped his nose, nodded and finally smiled.

**OOOOO**

"KENJI! I was so worried!" Kaoru screamed as she ran to hug the little boy. Kenji teared up.

"Okaa-chaaan…" He whined, but decided to hold back his tears. Just like the boy in the story, he thought.

Kenshin sighed, looking at the mother and son hugging. Kaoru was crying and walking around Kyoto frantically when they realized that the boy got lost in the crowd at tonight's festival. His gaze then turned into the tall, muscular man in front of him. They locked gaze for a while, before Kenshin bowed.

"Thank you for helping my son finding his way home." He said politely. Kaoru also nodded.

"Thank you so much, Seijuuro-san." She said with teary eyes.

Hiko sighed as he saw his baka deshi's smile.

He was his master. Even when everyone thought his pupil's thoughts were hidden perfectly under his mild demeanor, he could read him like an open book. He was happy. He dared to dream again now, and even though his body had probably weakened over the years, he looked stronger than ever, surrounded by the people he wanted to protect, and the people who would protect his ideals, no matter how foolish it sounded.

Kenshin lifted Kenji up and put him on his shoulders. "Let's have some dinner, shall we?"

"We're not eating with uncle?" Kenji looked at Hiko, who was about to leave. Kaoru looked at Kenshin and Hiko alternately, a little confused at their cold and distant behaviour towards each other. Kenshin smiled and patted Kaoru lightly on the shoulder, as if telling her not to stare anymore.

"He is busy. We should not bother him, Ken-chan." Kenshin said as he turned his body and started walking, and Kaoru followed him, still stealing glances at her husband's master, who also turned his back and preparing to leave. "Moreover, Kenji, he's not uncle. He's grandpa. You should call him grandpa."

Hiko's face twitched as he heard his pupil said. He stopped walking, but too proud to turn around.

"He is grandpa, like old Ji-ya?" Kenji asked, confused. "He doesn't look old."

"He is at least 100 years old, Kenji. So you should call him grandpa." Kenshin said.

"Okay then." Kenji said thoughtfully, much to Hiko's annoyance. "BYE GRANDPA!" He screamed and Hiko flinched.

He sighed in annoyance as he continued walking through the city, when suddenly a man with three jars of sake stopped him.

"Hi, I was told by your son to give these three jars of sake for you." He said, and Hiko blinked.

"My son? He told you that he was my son?" He asked, and the guy scratched his head.

"Well… No… But the little kid kept on asking about buying his grandpa some sake and his father was agreeing to it… So I thought… Well anyways, I've delivered the sake to you! Bye!"

Hiko looked at three jars of finest sake in town, and chuckled continuously. He might be able to read his pupil like a book, but it was his baka deshi who could play him around like this.

He sighed and looked at the stars as he walked back home, realizing that his mood had never been this good for months. The encounter with the redheads was indeed the highlight of his year.


	7. The Great Tanuki Princess Strikes!

AN: I am pms-ing and in need of something fun (with a little bit of beating and kicking here and there), thus the story :) It's not edited so expect some grammar error :( As usual, please review and enjoy the story!

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The Great Tanuki Princess Strikes!

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Kaoru stared blankly at her bokken, only three meters away in front of her. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling the rope that bound her wrists on her back. She sighed again quietly as she looked around. Eight muscular men surrounded her, looking at the door of what supposed to be an abandoned shack in anticipation. She focused herself, making it easier for her to read people's kenki, and counted another twenty men outside the shack, tired and a little dull from a long waiting time.

She was BORED. Really, REALLY, BORED.

Blowing her annoying fringe, she wondered how these thugs could survive another hour without talking to each other. They were officially the most serious thugs she had ever met. She sighed again for the hundredth time today, trying to entertain herself by replaying the kabuki show she and Kenshin watched two weeks ago, but she got even more bored.

"Hey." She called the leader of the bandit beside him, who, unlike his underling, was drinking his sake calmly at a corner. He stopped drinking took a glance at her with an annoyed face, as if she was spoiling the good sake he was drinking earlier. "He's not coming." Kaoru continued flatly. He glanced at her again, this time eyeing her from her ponytail, her worn out gi, to her shoeless toes.

"Don't worry about that. He WILL come." The guy said confidently as he flexed his big muscles and smirked. "You're his precious woman. He will come for you." He said with a scary voice. Kaoru sighed.

"The sun is almost setting. He is busy preparing some dinner right now." She said. "Sano is coming home today, and Kenji, our son, is going to make his night a living hell. I doubt that he would even remember me even if I hadn't disappeared like this. Moreover, for all he cares, I'm still on the way back home from the doujo outside Tokyo."

"We have left a letter in the doujo." The guy retorted, and Kaoru snorted.

"Sure, sure… But it's been a looong time since you guys kidnapped me, and he's usually pretty panicky about these silly things. He would come in a flash if he knew someone kidnapped me." She said. "Maybe he didn't see the letter. Where did you put it?"

"Woman…" The guy warned him impatiently, but Kaoru ignored him.

"You should've put the letter in the kitchen or inside the laundry basket. He would notice it right away when he's doing his chores and we wouldn't have to wait this long." She said, moving her heads side to side as if she was gossiping with Tae. "Remember that for next time." She added lightly.

"Shut up." He said again. "You are getting on my nerves." He said. Kaoru shrugged.

"I'm just saying. I mean, you don't have to wait this long if you had put the letter in the right place." She said stubbornly. The guy stood up, took his sword and stood in front of Kaoru.

"You think you can get away with anything just because you're Battousai's woman?" He asked grimly. Kaoru looked at him right in the eyes.

"The thing is, I'm tired, and my period is coming soon, so I am moody, hungry and easily bored." She stated calmly, and the guy smacked her face with the hilt of the sword. She fell down, and he kicked her until she slid across the room.

"Try being smart again and I will beat you into a pulp." He said, looking at the woman writhing in pain in front of him as he cracked his knuckles.

She looked up and glared at him. "I want to see you try."

OOOOO

Kenshin sighed, looking outside of the window as he cleaned the rice he was going to cook. Kaoru was supposed to be on her way home right now, but he couldn't help but feeling a little anxious. He had a feeling that something bad is happening.

He shook his head and started rinsing the rice. Kaoru was a strong woman and she didn't need him to take care of her or to worry about her. Those chaotic days had passed and now they lived peacefully as a family.

He snapped out of his thougts when he heard a person running on the engawa. It sounded like Yahiko, the careless but quick steps . He quickly came out of the kitchen and found Yahiko holding a piece of paper while panic was written all over his face.

"Kaoru… Someone kidnapped her!" He shouted and Kenshin went pale. He took the paper from Yahiko's hands, read it and then threw it on the floor.

"I have to go and find her. You take care of the house!" Kenshin said as he ran towards the gates.

OOOOO

Kaoru inhaled as her stomach tightening in pain, and the taste of blood slowly seeped into her mouth as she sucked on her swolen lips. After a few more beating in some unforgiving areas, the bandit seemed to be satisfied enough to see her unmoving, helpless form on the dingy floor of the shack and decided to leave her alone, thinking that she had learned her lesson. She closed her eyes and relaxed her body, trying to preserve some energy and ease the aching as she listened intently to the sound of his heavy steps walked out of the shack to wait with his underlings outside. Her lips curved into a smile as she heard the sound of the door closed. She scratched her wrists; the ropes that had tied her hands together went loose during the beating, and with a little more effort she slipped her hands out of the binding.

The thugs surrounding her didn't anticipate that their little captive could be so agile and so dangerous. She rolled her body on the floor, gained her stance, slid across the room smoothly and grabbed her bokken. In a flash, she beat up all of the guys in the shack, and walked outside.

She was right; there were twenty people outside of the shack, and their swords were drawn in anticipation. They all looked at her cautiously, and Kaoru smiled.

"Come on. If you can't beat me, how do you expect to beat Himura Battousai?" She asked with a challenging tone. Provoked by her words, they dashed towards her and attacked her. Kaoru inhaled as she prepared a kata, before charging towards the thugs.

OOOOO

"Yo Kenshin!"

Kenshin stopped as he heard a familiar voice. He turned around and saw Sano running towards him. He was grinning through his messy beard as Kenshin looked at him apologetically.

"Sano..." Kenshin called, and Sano raised his hand, stopping him from saying anything more.

"What better way to welcome me than to give me a good fight?" He said. "Let's go!" He dragged Kenshin as he ran towards the clearin deep in the woods.

Expecting a bunch of thugs waiting for them, Sano cried his battle cry to make a grand entrance while Kenshin was running behind him cautiously, sensing that something was definitely wrong. The two guys stopped when they saw Kaoru, standing with her bokken ready to attack, glaring at the head of the bandits, while the other thugs were already unconscious.

Kenshin stepped forward and the bandit turned his stare from Kaoru to him. He smirked as Kenshin came closer.

"I'm the one you want." Kenshin simply stated with a grim voice.

"You have finally come." The bandit replied, pointing his sword towards Kenshin. The redhead was about to take a step closer towards his challenger, but Kaoru raised her bokken in front of Kenshin's chest, stopping him from going further into the fight.

"He's not the person you're looking for." Kaoru said slowly before looking at her husband. Kenshin blinked, a little surprised at her reaction. "He's not Battousai. He's only Himura Kenshin. My husband, the father of my child, a man who sells ointments for cut wounds and is willing do odd jobs to feed us. He's just... Kenshin..." Kaoru's voice trailed off as she saw anxiety in his husband's expression. Kaoru inhaled and looked at the bandit with an intimidating stare. "I am the one who has the weapon, not him. I will not let you get anywhere near him."

"Kenshin grabbed her bokken. "Let me handle this." His voice was rough and filled with disapproval, but Kaoru stubbornly shook her head.

"You have protected me too many times. This is my turn to protect you." She said, swinging her bokken free from his grip and charged towards the big guy in front of her.

Kenshin and Sano watched in horror as their first clash sent Kaoru flying across the field. She quickly gained her balance and outrun the bandit's huge but slow stature, scoring a fatal attack on his belly. The attack aggravated him, as he started to swing his sword uncontrollably.

"LET ME KILL YOU, WENCH!" He screamed as Kaoru ran around. She was also at her limit, panting and sweating like crazy.

"Come..." She said, half whispering half panting. The guy charged towards her and swung her sword, when she suddenly caught his blade with the back of her hands crossing on top of each other. Her bokken, on the other hand, was still in her grasp. She moved her body to the side and Kenshin and Sano's eyes widened as Kaoru severed the blade with one solid movement.

"Is it crazy if I'm turned on right now...?" Sano mumbled quietly, while Kenshin froze at the sight of his wife diving towards the guy and delivered a fatal attack right on his throat, making him fell and slid on the ground.

After delivering such a powerful attack, Kaoru didn't really think about her balance and fell, rolling on the ground for a few seconds before finally hitting a tree and stopped. Kenshin ran towards her and Sano cheered as he followed the shorter man. Kaoru smiled as Kenshin and Sano kneeled in front of her.

"I did it, it was a perfect ougi, wasn't it?" She asked, still panting tiredly. Kenshin gaped, opening and closing his mouth a few times, before sighing heavily.

"Yes, it was a perfect Hawatari. You are officially the strongest woman I've ever seen." He finally said with a tired voice, and Kaoru giggled as she tried so hard to get up. Once the adrenaline rush was over, the ache from the beating and the fight was creeping back in.

"Of course, I'm your wife." She replied, and looked at Sano beside her. "Okaeri, Sano." She said with a small smile.

"Tadaima Jou-chan... This is officially the greatest welcome back show I've ever seen!" He replied with an amused chuckle.

Kaoru's eyes sparkled as she saw Kenshin's disapproving gaze and Sano's happy grin.

"Of course, it's not everyday that you get to protect the greatest swordsman alive."


	8. Prelude

Disclaimer: RK is not mine

AN: So I was reading a fic by Hye-Kyo (it's called "The Tradition", it's been around for awhile and a lot of people are looking for that fic, I guess it has become a cult fanfic hahaha...) and I was thinking about yobai. For those who doesn't know what yobai is, it's basically a tradition in ancient Japan where a guy sneak into a girl's room and have sex with them. It's supposed to either be a trial or just a prelude for marriage, usually with the girl's family's consent. Not sure how I twisted this into some kind of Kenshin-Kaoru prelude before marriage, but I did and while it wasn't the best, it wasn't that horrible :p People are writing post-jinchuu fics everywhere anyway, hahaha... This is supposed to be a practice piece so it's a little long. I don't get to write as much and I think my skill is getting dull, so please bear with it :')) I hope you enjoy this one as well, don't forget to review!

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Prelude

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The last petal of momiji had fallen, and the cold wind was blowing hard in the morning, cancelling the warmth that the sun was trying to radiate. It was the weather for blankets and futons, even in the doujo which was supposed to be a little noisy by now with Kaoru and Yahiko's banters, everything seemed so idle. Every room was quiet, even the only room that was occupied.

Kaoru wrapped herself with the blanket; her hand was tangling with long red mane and her shoulders were warm from the heat of the arm that embraced her. She lazily opened her eyes, looking at the man next to her staring at the ceiling and seemed to be spacing out.

Kenshin didn't even move even though he could feel her blue orbs were staring. He was too lazy to move, but when she snuggled into his chest, he found himself unconsciously caressing her raven locks. He could hear Kaoru sighed happily as she closed her eyes again.

"What are you thinking...?" she murmured, her voice was a lazy purr.

"Hmm? Nothing..." He slurred his words, and Kaoru smiled. He rarely looked the way he did now; lazy and lethargic, as if he wanted to stay on the bed forever. Kaoru traced her eyes towards the red hair on his shoulder, somehow finding the mundane movement of the strands as she breathed towards it entertaining.

"Ne, have you heard of yobai?" She asked randomly, and Kenshin looked at her.

"The tradition?" He asked back, and Kaoru nodded. Kenshin frowned, but then smiled. It wasn't weird that she asked random questions out of the blue. Ever since they shared a futon, their morning was sometimes filled with meaningless chats like this one. "I've heard about it." He continued.

"I wonder if some villages still practice this tradition." She said, her hand was playing with the hem of his yukata. "It's pretty ancient."

"I think they do." He answered, and she looked at him, interested. "When I was still practicing with Shishou, I heard some of the older guys talked about it."

"Hmm..." Kaoru snuggled and clutched his collar; her face was full of thoughts. Kenshin chuckled.

He was indeed a happier man. It was a luxury for him to be able to relax on the bed and occupy his mind with nothing but menial, random questions from the woman he adored. She seemed different as well. She was always cheerful and playful, but with him in private, she had shown her innocence more than ever, saying things and doing things that made him smile.

He couldn't believe that Enishi's attack was only a couple of months ago. For a whole month, he spent his nights on the engawa outside her room, catching light sleeps while keeping himself aware at his surroundings at all times, just like when he was an assassin. He had heard her gasps in the middle of the night; a frightened ki was released from all over her room, before fading slowly as she fell back into her slumber. It happened pretty quickly every other night, she had felt him outside of her room, protecting her and comforting her merely with his presence.

The unhealthy habit had worked pretty well for both of them, albeit a little tired from the lack of quality sleep, they both felt more at peace. In the beginning of winter, her nightmare had lessened. She had told Kenshin to return to his room, ensuring him that she was okay now, especially because she didn't want him to spend his nights being cold outside where he could be comfortable under the thick blanket and futon she provided.

He had obeyed her, mainly because he didn't want her to worry so much about him. Little did they know, it was _him_ who needed comfort and protection. As soon as he moved from the uncomfortable engawa to the warm, comfortable futon in his room at the back of the house, even a light sleep was hard to get.

When he did get his sleep, he was having nightmares, just random nightmares from his childhood, the death of his first wife, his first kill, and even nightmares of things that never happened. The nightmare didn't occur on daily basis, but enough to get him distracted during the times when the amount escalated. Quickly, he had come to terms with each and every nightmare he had, until his brain decided to challenge his sanity even more by throwing the one dream, one memory he had feared upon.

It was Enishi, standing in front of a blazing fire and crumbling doujo. He was laughing, mocking him, his hand was holding something. Blood was flowing towards Kenshin's feet like a river, and as he stepped forward he could see whose blood had stained his tabi and zori.

He recognized the white gi and blue hakama worn for kenjustu training, and the black hair, tied in a ponytail that had become messy and drenched in blood. An all too familiar blade stuck to her chest, piercing through to her back. Her eyes were staring blankly at him, and the cross scar on her cheek completed the horror.

It was suddenly hard for Kenshin to breathe. His body was numb as if his blood had stopped flowing inside his veins. He found himself losing control of his body, he was clutching his sakabatou, gritting his teeth and ready to draw his swords, even though inside he knew that it was useless to fight.

Kaoru-dono is dead; what else there is to fight for?

His mind battled over his desire for revenge and his fatigue. When he vowed not to kill anymore, he was trying to break the chain between killing and being killed for vengeance. He didn't want anyone to suffer the same fate as his late wife, who suffered because of her will to avenge her dead fiance, and him, who killed someone and unknowingly caused the greatest of pains towards the woman he loved.

There he was, clutching his sword, succumbing to his desire to shred the white haired guy in front of him. He groaned through his gritted teeth and started drawing his sword.

"KENSHIN!"

Panting, he blinked the tears away from his eyes. He was sitting on his futon, in his room. His left hand was clutching the scabbard while his right hand was in the process of taking his sakabatou out. He looked down and saw Kaoru, panting as much as he did. She was sitting on his lap, her face buried into his chest, one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other was clutching the blade he had half-drawn.

"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin gasped as he felt his body weakened. Kaoru looked up and smiled at him, even though he could see traces of tears on her beautiful face.

"Are you okay?" She whispered, releasing his sakabatou. Kenshin looked down and clenched his jaw as he saw Kaoru's hand was injured because of him. She must have tried to stop him from drawing his sword. The poor girl was facing him at the worst time when he couldn't control his own strength. If she didn't manage to wake him up on time, he would have struck her flying across the room with his sakabatou.

"I'm sorry..." Kenshin whimpered as he threw the sword and held her hands, one hand was bruising and the other was bleeding from the sharp edge of the sakabatou. Kaoru only chuckled softly.

"Hey, I sometimes kick Yahiko in my sleep as well. He usually didn't take it well in the morning." She tried to add some humour to the situation, even though he could hear quiver in her voice. Kenshin inhaled and pulled her into his embrace.

"I'm sorry..." He repeated. He released the hug and walked towards the small cabinet in his room. He took out some bandages and started tending Kaoru's wound. "Don't try to stop me next time this happened. It was only a dream, that it was." He murmured as he finished putting on the bandage around Kaoru's bleeding hand. Kaoru only smiled.

"It looks like you need someone to ease your nightmares. I want to help." She stated. "Besides, I don't want you to ruin my wall." She added with a chuckle, her voice sounded much calmer than before. Kenshin sighed and ruffled her hair.

"Thank you." He said. "Let's go back to sleep."

Kaoru looked at him and grinned. "Okay. Scoot over." She replied while inviting herself into his thick blanket. Kenshin looked with his eyes widened in shock.

"Kaoru-dono..." He called her and gaped but no sound came out. Kaoru lay down with her back facing him and mumbled a good night. The warmth her back radiated made him calmer than usual. For the first time, he had a deep, dreamless sleep.

Kaoru had spent the night at his room numerous times after that. He had his nightmares and she had hers, but by now it felt like nothing more than just a bad night. If anything, Kenshin was happy that he had those nightmares. It reminded him that he was, even subconsciously, a good human being with remorse, regret and a will to repent over the sins he did in the past. He didn't need to beat himself up over past sins, for a good person could make mistakes too. He only needed to be reminded that he cared enough to feel those negative feelings, motivating him to make up for what he had done before and helped more people in the future.

He learned that it took a happy man to make others happy as well. He found out, no matter how hard he tried to help and protect those around him, they wouldn't live happily if he wasn't happy. Once he realized that, all those nightmares and painful memories that tormented him in the past didn't plague him as much anymore.

He found himself enjoying her company at night, and even more so in the morning. Shyly, he let his hands played with her braided hair in the morning as she braved herself to snuggle into his chest, hiding her blushing face in his embrace.

They would whisper small talks in the morning. Just talking about random, mundane things, like the Hikaru Genji Monogatari book she started reading, or Yahiko's snores that annoyed her. Unconsciously he fell into the pattern, talking about his fascination towards different kinds of kenjutsu styles, or even about mushrooms, which lead to him telling her a story about his childhood.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's voice distracted him. He looked at her and realized he was spacing out again. "Were you listening to me?" She asked.

"Sorry, so... Yobai?" He grinned and Kaoru snorted in mock annoyance.

"Yeah, I was curious. You lived in a rural area before, so I thought you've seen it." She said. Kenshin frowned for a second and then shook his head.

"Shessa lived pretty close to Kyoto, so the villages around were adopting city lifestyle." He said apologetically. "But from what I heard, the tradition starts with the guy sending gifts to the girl. When the girl accepted the gift, the guy could start sneaking into a girl's house at night."

"Oh, what do they do at night?" She asked in interest, and Kenshin blushed.

"They... have a sexual intercourse." Kenshin mumbled, and coughed as Kaoru's face turned red.

"Oh..." She looked down and played with the end of her braided hair. She stayed in that position for awhile before looking up again. "But they are to be wed, right?" She asked.

"Not always. Different people practice the tradition for different reason, I suppose. There are people who misuse this tradition as well. I guess that's why it's not popular anymore."

"When does the tradition end for the guy and the girl then?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. I heard the proper way to end it is for the girl's family to catch the guy in bed with the girl." He explained. "After that, the two families would start preparing for the wedding."

Kaoru was about to ask more questions when suddenly there was a running sound and without a warning, the shoji slammed open. It was Yahiko, panting and distraught.

"KENSHIN! BUSU IS MI-" Yahiko's voice trailed off as he saw the redhead holding his teacher in his arms, and his teacher was lying on his chest comfortably. His face reddened as Kaoru jumped and sat on the bed in seiza. It wasn't helping that she was constantly conscious about the state of her yukata and repeatedly fixing the upper part of her yukata that covered her chest. "... Oh good, she's here. I thought she disappeared... I'm going to Akabeko. Bye." Yahiko murmured and ran away, Kaoru's face reddened.

"Yahiko! It's not what you think it is!" She screamed as she ran to the door, but Yahiko had disappeared behind the side gate. Kaoru stomped and looked at Kenshin. "Mou! I don't want to be found out this way!" She said, frustrated.

Kenshin chukled and stretched his body while watching Kaoru shouting angrily at no one while pacing around the engawa. He sighed and stood up.

"Kaoru-dono?" He called and Kaoru looked at him, her face was still red. He smiled as he leaned on the door frame. "Shessha doesn't mind if he has to prepare the wedding from now. We've been caught, after all."

The simple statement was enough to make Kaoru's head steam.


	9. EXTRA: The Normal Life of Himura Kenji

AN: Imagine this one as one of those extra chapters in a manga. I would probably make more about Kenji in this title, just probably some amusing stuff that's tickling my brain :') I'm trying to base Kenji's character on Watsuki's explanation, that he's an "idiot" that is on his way to grow grow up as, smart, twisted and gifted as Shishio or Saitou (we'll get to that part much later haha).

This isn't a narrative or descriptive fanfic I usually make, and I usually avoid using stuff like brackets, italics and bold and such, but I think the style is pretty appropriate in this kind of fic. I don't want a long winding description for an extra, anyway. It's supposed to be something you can just skim read and get the gist. Expect some grammatical mistake, I didn't re-read the fic yet. Anyway, enjoy :)

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EXTRA: The Normal Life of Himura Kenji

XX

Kenji sat on the engawa of the doujo, staring at the paper in hand. He just got home from school, and had received a bad score and a big question from his teacher.

_Kenji-kun, It is not good to make things up! Tell me again, how can you have three, four, five, even TEN different surnames in your family?_

He scratched his head. They were learning to write, and the teacher had asked them to make a family tree. It was pretty easy for him, he had known them forever.

**Father: Himura Kenshin.**

(Tou-san's name was piece of cake; it was similar to his name.)

**Mother: Kamiya Kaoru.**

(Well, everyone called her "Kamiya-sensei", and Tou-san called her "Kaoru-dono". If combined together, her name would be "Kamiya Kaoru")

**Elder Brother: Myoujin Yahiko. **

(This name couldn't be wrong, he had asked Nii-san himself, and even asked Nii-san to teach him how to write the kanji)

**Elder Brother's wife: Myoujin Tsubame.**

**Younger Sister: Himura Kaori... or was it Kamiya...? **

(Well, she hadn't been born yet, so no point thinking about it)

**Uncle: Sagara Sanosuke.**

**2****nd**** Uncle: Shinomori Aoshi.**

**3****rd**** Uncle & 4****th**** Uncle: Shirojo & Kurojo...**

(Not sure if they had last names, last time they went to Kyoto, he had asked and they only laughed and patted his head. One of adult's bad habits was to ignore a child's question, and now that habit had cost him his school mark...)

**Aunt: Takani Megumi.**

**2****nd**** Aunt: Makimachi Misao.**

(2nd aunt, yes, even though she looked like she was only a couple of years older than he was...)

**1****st**** Grandpa from father's side: Hiko Seijuuro **

**2****nd**** Grandpa from mother's side: Kamiya Koshijirou **

(He had only heard great stories about both of the grandpas. Apparently he had some cool grandpas. He wondered why his dad was not cool like the grandpas)

**3****rd**** Grandpa: Kashiwazaki Nenji.**

(He wasn't sure if he was his grandpa, or great grandpa, or something entirely different. Aunt Misao had called him Ji-ya, and father told him that Ji-ya means, Ji-san in Tokyo. Maybe people from Kyoto spoke weirdly, that's all. This grandpa was Ji-ya for him, too)

**4****th**** Grandpa from mother's side: Oguni Genzai.**

**5****th**** Grandpa from mother's side: Maekawa Miyauchi.**

(For him, having FIVE grandpas wasn't weird at all until his teacher told him that normal people usually have 2 grandpas, from mother's side and from father's side.)

**Others: Tsukayama Yuutaro**

(Kenji had asked his father during Yahiko Nii-san's wedding preparation if Yuutaro Nii-san's wedding would also be held in their house, inside the doujo. His father had laughed and said that one's wedding was supposed to be held at the groom's family's home, so Yuutaro Nii-san's wedding would be at his own home. From that conversation, he had concluded that Yuutaro Nii-san's home wasn't the house and doujo he had lived in, while Yahiko Nii-san's home was, therefore Yuutaro Nii-san wasn't really his Nii-san... or was he?)

**Grandma: NONE**

(Never really asked about them.)

The more Kenji read his family tree, the more he felt there was something wrong with his family. He had thought that other people's family was like that, but apparently his wasn't what most people called a normal family. He sighed dejectedly, and looked up when he heard noises from the main gate.

His father, Uncle Sano, Yahiko and Yuutaro Nii-san, Grandpa Genzai, Tae-san from the store had come bringing all sorts of things to celebrate something... Probably something that Uncle Sano had planned, and his father decided to go along with it.

"Oro? Kenji-kun, what are you doing alone?" His father asked, and Kenji stood up. He looked at his father seriously, for the man owed him an explanation.

"Tou-san, so I got bad mark at making family tree. Teacher said that my family is made up and doesn't make sense." He said slowly, and the adults in front of him looked at each other, a little crept out at the sight of mini-Battousai in front of them. "You owe me some explanation, tou-san... Which ones of these adults are my real family?" He asked with a dangerous tone.

Kenshin gulped. "Where's my wife when I need her..." He murmured as his little spawn dragged his hand while shoving the badly scored homework towards him.


	10. Had A Bad Day?

Disclaimer: I don't own RK

AN: In the mood for a little violence and eroticism. Not the best combination, I know (no, I wasn't reading 50 Shades of Grey in the bathroom). I was contemplating if this story is in line with my other stories in this one shot collection, but then I thought, freck it, people get a little crazy sometimes. Kenshin should be a little funny on the head too, considering what he had been through. People should have one or two days in which they are oversensitive about stuff. This is a result of not being able to sleep after having my asthma medication (has a similar effect to coffee), and it is not beta-ed, so expect some grammatical or spelling error. I do hope that you can enjoy this mildly gruesome chapter, don't forget to review!

XXX

Had A Bad Day?

XXX

Kenshin stared blankly at the candle. The flickers played the shadows and the silhouette, highlighting his stern features; jaw clenched, eyes darted at nothing, and eyebrows frowned slightly, creating a little wrinkle at his nose bridge.

Even in his empty state, he had sensed his wife, who got into the futon earlier, moved around a little before finally getting up again. A cold finger touched his with soft brushes, making its way to his wrist, and he leered at the pale fingers that disturbed him.

His eyes followed the small fingers over his rough ones, to the slender wrist, a skinny arm covered in yukata, a petite, albeit athletic shoulder, the shoulder blade popping out, highlighted by the dancing light from the candle, her pale neck with a few strands of raven hair and then finally a beautiful but concerned face of her wife. Her blue eyes looked at him, as if asking a million questions.

She ended up asking only one question. "Had a bad day?"

Ambers dancing in his eyes under the candle light as he followed his little wife's gaze, towards her nose and her full lips. He then sighed and closed his eyes.

Most days were good for him and he was a happy guy most of the time, but sometimes he had his bad ones too, for no reason at all.

His bad day started with screams and the sound of blades clashing at each other. It was the screams that he knew all too well; dying men trying desperately to steal the glory that would never be theirs. The screams ended in another sound he had recognized; a choking sound of the blood filling up their throats and lungs, spurting out of their mouths and noses as it became harder for them to breathe.

He would open his eyes after hearing such atrocity, but then found that he was just sleeping beside his wife in their comfortable futon, and the birds were chirping outside. The warm sun seeped through the rice paper and the smell of spring started spreading throughout the room.

He would get up, get dressed in his yukata, tied his hair and slid his sakabatou on his hip. He slowly opened the door so that he didn't wake Kaoru up, and then made his way to the well.

He could only stare blankly at the pail of water he got from the well. At first, it reeked of something familiar. Unpleasant, but familiar… like a rusty iron stench. Then the clean water would turn red, darker and darker, rotting as the stench got stronger. He then forced himself to get more of the rotting water, before dividing it into three pails, two for the laundry and another one for cooking.

Over the years, he had succeeded in ignoring his small insanity hidden in his brain. It didn't matter if his sake tasted like blood, or if his fish turned into a decapitated hand covered with the armour of his former enemy, or if he had to wash his clothes in the rotten water. However, he cringed a little when trying to wash Kaoru's white gi in that water. He hated to see the pure white gi tainted by the water, turning it black and red and making it smell like a dead animal.

He gritted his teeth as he started his laundry, one by one colouring the clothes in red. He scrubbed and scrubbed, but the stench became worse and worse, and finally he gave up, hanging every red clothes he had washed to dry.

He then took the other pile of water to the kitchen. He opened the barrel where they stocked their rice and took cups after cups, ignoring the crawling feeling in his hand when the white rice started coming alive, climbing up his arms as he recognized them as the little guys who accelerate the decomposing process on a corpse.

He sighed and took three cups of those little white guys, dumping them in the pot, before pouring water into the pot, and started cooking them together. After putting the lid on, he began to process the miso paste, turning it into a big bowl of miso soup, adding some tofu while stirring the soup once in awhile. With a ladle, he took some miso soup and poured it into a small, shallow cup to taste it. Sometimes, even when he was having a bad day, the miso soup still tasted like miso soup. Sometimes, it tasted like something completely different, as he watched a finger, severed at the joint, floating around the cup. Either way, he still tasted it anyway.

He then took his quick shower with the same water he took from the well. Not a big deal, really. His hair was already red, so pouring something red on it didn't really make it much of a different. He sighed as he scrubbed himself with a towel; thinking that this was probably what people would think of his everyday life: Battousai, bathing in the blood of his enemies.

He then get dressed in his hakama and left for the town, following the river flowing red and the floating horror within. A stomach cut open, tattered armour, unrecognizable guts and body parts were floating on the river, accompanying his trip to the town.

He quickly bought everything he needed, and then walked back home, ignoring the sakura petals falling, turning into a bloody rain.

He opened the gate and heard some shouts from the doujo; Kaoru had started teaching his students. He walked over and took a glance, hoping to get a glimpse of his lovely wife, but greeted with her dead stare.

He only chuckled bitterly this time. Kaoru, dead with Enishi's sword stabbing her chest? He knew perfectly that Kaoru was alive, inside that doujo he was looking at, teaching her growing number of students. Albeit his pained heart, he shook his head and smiled, making his way to the kitchen.

After a little cleaning and tidying up, he proceeded to heat the bath. He knew his wife liked to take a long bath after a tiring training session. Since he didn't need to go to work that day, he would sit at the engawa, trying to straighten his mind, but ended up replaying things in the past.

He replayed war after war, attack after attack, murder after murder. He replayed the deep cracking sound Jin-eh's bones and muscles made as his sheath hit every tendon he ever needed to hold a sword. He then moved to the crackling sound of the burning building, surrounding Shishio and his lover.

Ah yes, very nostalgic. He couldn't believe that he remembered everything; the sound of the armour clashing with his blade, the feeling of severing flexed muscle as he decapitated his enemy's hand, the taste of the blood smeared onto his face as it sprouted like a firework from the headless neck he had beheaded, the smell of the gunpowder mixed with the nauseating rotten smell from the corpses left to decay. He remembered every single detail a little too clearly.

He then ate his dinner together with Kaoru and Yahiko. He calmly took bite after bite of his human flesh meal and bloodied soup while watching his wife and her apprentice's childish fight, something that distracted him from his bad dream.

Yahiko then retired to his old room, and Kenshin joined Kaoru in her room. He changed his hakama and gi into his sleeping yukata quietly as Kaoru did the same. He watched Kaoru slid inside the warm blanket as he sat on the futon. He looked at the candle he was supposed to blow out and another thought ran into his mind. What kind of things would he see if he blew out the candle? Would it be the Ikedaya attack, where he was forced to run away as soon as the puddle of blood reached his feet? Would it be the night when he killed his former wife's fiancé? There were too many versions of him blowing out a candle and lit it back on when he was already drenched in his enemy's blood.

Kaoru looked at her husband staring at the candle, amber glow from the candle light overlapping his amethyst pupil. She knew him well enough to know his diseases; this was one of them. True, her Kenshin was strong, but he was also a human who sometimes engulfed in his own darkness.

He closed his eyes as she slowly trailed his hand with her fingers, but then his head turned at her light, simple question. The same question she had asked every time. Amber playing in his eyes, which sometimes happened on nights like tonight. She knew it was a reflection from the candle light, but those eyes looked like it belonged to an embodiment of another Kenshin she had yet to get to know of.

"Somewhat." He answered, his voice was hoarse and tired. He closed his eyes once again as he caught her trailing hand and pressed his lips on her pulse while inhaling, indulging himself in her calming scent. He then opened his eyes and stared at her with a pair of burning ambers as he kissed her palm, something that always managed to get her weak on the knees.

He stretched out his hand and caressed Kaoru's face. His thumb moved from her blushing cheek, to her jaw, her small chin and then stopped at her soft lips. He pressed her thumb on her lips, giving it a circling movement before releasing pressure, making them red and plump. His amber eyes never strayed from her, as if trying to imprint her figure in the back of his mind.

"You never change." He whispered. Kaoru opened her eyes, looking at his unreadable expression. "No matter how many nightmares I have, you always stay the same." He continued, his fingers ran down her neck and collarbone. "You're still the pure, beautiful woman from the first time we met." He pulled Kaoru into his embrace. "Thank you."

"For not changing?" She asked, grabbing his yukata for support. She lifted up her head and her eyes met his amber ones. He leaned closer, causing her stomach stir.

"For being my sanctuary." He answered with a low voice, before pulling her in his laps and crushed her lips with his with a slow movement. Clutching on his clothes, Kaoru returned his painful, rough kiss, her hands slipped inside his yukata, hugging his lean, muscular form as she touched his curved back. He ended the kiss with a gentle suck on her bottom lips, and she rested her head on his shoulder, her body was clinging onto his body.

She traveled her hands on his back, tracing the slopes of his light but developed muscles, thinking that his back was pretty smooth, without any significant scars. His front torso, however, was a pale bronze canvas carved by wars and battles, decorated with beautiful, ribbed curves of muscles developed from his long, excruciating training and different kinds of scars formed from blades, explosives and bullets. Kaoru smiled bitterly at her discovery; he had never turned his back cowardly on a fight, honouring every warrior who wanted to die with pride in his hands, no matter how painful killing was for her kindhearted husband.

"I want to be the source of your happines." She murmured into his ears. He chuckled and tightened his embrace.

"You already are my source of happiness." He closed his eyes and buried his face on her shoulder as his hands followed every curve of her body. This time, his mind was clear; no reeking blood, no morbid manifestation of his nightmares, just the scent of jasmine and soft, pale skin. Ah, yes, his salvation. Funny how this woman, who was so soft and fragile under his touch, had the power to bring him back every time he lost himself in the sea of his own guilt and regret. It was a power stronger than anything he had ever seen, and he couldn't be more grateful to be able to have her in his life.

He trailed his kisses on the side of her neck, down to her clavicles and then towards her cleavage, not caring about her yukata slipping off her torso. Kaoru closed her eyes as she hugged him tightly.

"Then you only need to look at me." She whispered in his ear.

"I only need to look at you." He repeated and looked up to see the beauty in staring at him, her naked pale skin that he loved were glowing, but her sapphire eyes were somber, anxiety and love reflected from them. He leaned down and put his head on her bare chest, listening to her beating heart. It relaxed him to hear her beating heart, knowing that he almost lost her once. Kaoru caressed his hair gently and felt that his body started to loosen up.

"You only need to see happiness." She murmured and Kenshin sighed. She was slowly creeping into his five senses, forcing him to remember what happiness was about. He knew that when he wasn't happy, the people around him wouldn't be happy. He didn't need to remember things that caused him agony, he only needed to look forward and did what he had been doing for years; helping others as long as his body permitted him to do so.

"I only need to see happiness." He followed as he closed her eyes, genuinely believing what he had just made himself say. Kaoru smiled as she pushed her husband's yukata open, and pulled him onto the futon, placing him on top of her. She traced his scars and vowed silently that the only scars he would get from now on were the scars from teaching her how to cook, or from her clobbering when she was mad. She would not allow a scar that would hurt his soul.

"I will protect your happiness, just like how you are protecting mine." She said sweetly. Kenshin nodded silently and leaned in to kiss the woman underneath him. It was a wordless plea from him that he never said out loud, but he knew that she understood.

_Please protect my happiness, Kaoru. _


End file.
